2013 - End of the Line

As the hours tick down to Jan. 1, it's time to put a wrap on 2013.  I had a bad feeling about '13' last year at this time and I was right.  Was 2013 a shitty year or what?  Anyway, as commissioner, owner, president, and CEO of this here  restaurant blog, it is my duty to provide my readers with something I am sure they are waiting for regarding 2013 - closure.  So without further adieu, some highlights and lowlights, from my own personal, egocentric, and biased perspective.  I promise to keep this short and sweet and keep my fingers crossed for good things in 2014.

• Bones - despite all the hype, I liked this new entry into the Paris bar/tapas/bistrot scene anyway.  Co. was less than impressed, but I'm looking forward to a return trip.

• Alain Milliat - way over there near the Eiffel Tower, this venue has a lot of potential.  Small but innovative dishes.

• 6 Paul Bert - Paul Bert has expanded into more gastronomic country.  This may have been my  favorite new venue of the year.

• For tapas, Mary Celeste rose to the top of the list.  Innovative food and drinks, lively place.  Braisenville didn't reach those heights, but there's something intriguing about braised tapas.

• L'Apibo - enjoyable late summer dinner, bears watching.

• The grilled fish in Lisbon.  I want more.

•  Les Caves du Roy (31 Rue Simart, 75018 Paris) - finally I find a place that sells bitters for my martinis.  And where else in Paris can you find Aviation, Citadelle, and 6 Ravens gins (for the martinis)?  And speaking of the Ravens - the ones from Baltimore, that is - thanks for bringing the Lombardi trophy back to my original starting point Baltimore (Super Bowl 2013).

• The Splendid Table - with nothing else to listen to on the radio on Sunday mornings, this show really fills a void (via TuneIn's WNYC feed on my tablet).  Lynne Rossetto Kasper's laugh and other vocal mannerisms are nerve wrenching, but boy does she know food, or does she know food?  http://www.splendidtable.org/

• My new Fang laptop and Nexus 7 tablet.

• Old favorite: Les Magnolias. . . keep on truckin'.

• Le Gaigne - RIP.  Why, why, why?  Please come back, as you promise online.

• La Gazzetta - au revoir chef Petter Nilsson, who returns to Sweden.  Bienvenue to  Luigi Nastri, who has big shoes to fill

• Mansouri - I remember when this was a very good couscous restaurant.  Not any more.

• Mama Shelter - interesting place, lively bar, blah food.

• Septime - such a great restaurant, such a nightmare to reserve.

Au Revoir 2013, less than 7 hours to go.  And don't come back.

Catching Ups and Downs: Part 2

180 degrees to go to come full circle and put a lid on a 2013 I am forever happy to bid adieu.  On the heels of Mama Shelter and Le Boudoir, Co. and I returned to a couple of our personal favorites - La Gazzetta and Le Pleine Mer - with a minor detour along the rue de Lappe.  Put on your seat belts, here we go.

La Pirada

After a terrific concert by Matt Elliott and band at the Cafe de la Danse, just off the well-trodden rue de Lappe in Bastille, Co. and I were up for some late night grub and more fire water.  Our usual venue for such purposes is the comfortable Cuban spot Havanita, but let's face it, when it comes to authentic Cuban repasts, Havanita doesn't come close.  So we decided to check out the Spanish tapas just next door at La Pirada.  If there is something that Co. and I know a lot about when it comes to food, it is Spanish tapas, because, well, we spend a lot of time in Spain eating aforementioned Spanish tapas.  We didn't have high expectations for La Pirada and our low expectations were more or less confirmed.  But....what was lacking in authenticity was clearly made up by some above average, satisfying and copious plates, including the following:

Tapas de jour (8.50€)

Pulpo Gallega (10€) - heavy on the paprika, which was fine with me 

Calamares plancha (7.20€)

Not pictured, croquetas jamon (6.90€), my least favorite.  Along with a vino tinto, these offerings hit the spot in slaking our late night cravings - well, at least the edible and drinkable ones.

Needless to say if you know rue de Lappe, with it's never-ending stream of pedestrians, La Pirada benefits from location, location, location.  Even at the late hour of our visit, people were coming and going, non-stop.  Convivial, cheap, and there when you need it.  There's something to be said for that, even if the food ain't the top of the world, ma.

Inside La Pirada, a hint of Spain

A tip of the hat to Matt Elliott at the Cafe de la Danse, around the corner

LA PIRADA
address:  7, rue de Lappe, 75011 Paris
tel:  01 47 00 73 61
website:  http://www.pirada.com/


La Gazzetta

If you are a regular reader of PRAB, you know La Gazzetta, so there's really no need to elaborate again.  No, check that, yes there is.  One of the cool things that added to La Gazz's charm was their carte,which enabled the diner to select 5 (39€) or 7 (52€) plates from a list of 7 offerings.  I always found it somewhat confusing to figure out which were the entrees, plates, and desserts, but in the end it didn't matter because they were all innovative and good and you'd probably, like me, end up taking all 7 anyway at a price that was well worth it.

But what Co. and I found last January was something decidedly different - a standard entree/plat/fromage and/or dessert format (39€ or 45€, depending on the cheese).  So much for greater novelty and choice.  Our latest visit, during the first week of December, found a similar format, albeit with more choices, plenty of innovation, and, big surprise, raised prices (45€ and 55€).  Some of the offerings:

• Raviolis d'epinards, oursin et pomelos
• Salsifis - hibiscus - raisins de Corinthe oignon doux des Cevennes et persil
• Agneau de Bourgogne et carotte rotie olives et citron confit
• Sorbet de lait reduit, citron et meringues
• Biscuit trempe de chataignes, yaourt de brebis compote de pomme Bertane

More distressing than the price increase, we were informed that the renowned chef of La Gazzetta since 2006, Swedish Petter Nilsson is leaving to return to the source, Stockholm, just in time for a Scandinavian Christmas.  Here is the Google translated latest news from La Gazz regarding what happens next:

La Gazzetta will continue to follow the same movement back to basics by using the Italian chef Luigi Nastri , a friend of Giovanni Passerini , chef of Rino restaurant and former second at La Gazzetta. Thus, the torch remains in the "family." Luigi is the new Roman cook and is ready to invest the scene with the desire for a modern trattoria. His kitchen ...will give a Mediterranean tone necessarily rhyming with the Italian name of La Gazzetta.

I'm not sure about that rhyming part.  Not a big fan of Rino, all I can say is 'why mess around with a good thing?  Can't we just have the old La Gazzetta back?'  Maybe my fear is unwarranted.  As far as I'm concerned, I will continue to recommend La Gazzetta as I always have until they give me a reason not to, but best to be forewarned that changes are in the wind.  To be continued...

 LA GAZZETTA
address:  29 rue de Cotte, 75012 Paris
tel:  01 43 47 47 05
website:  http://lagazzetta.fr/wordpress/


La Pleine Mer

I'm a modern kind of a guy, if I have to say so myself, and though I generally laugh in the face of tradition, Co. and I have a little budding annual tradition going, which consists of a late December visit to La Pleine Mer for oysters from the Cancal region of Brittany.  I've already told you everything you need to know about LPM, and though I may lament the coming changes to La Gazzetta, each visit to LPM further confirms that this place will never, ever change.  Yeah, I know, never say never, but LPM has that kind of an 'old reliable' feel about it.

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times - if you want authentic, inexpensive, super delicious oysters in Paris, this is the place.  No embellishments, no variation in the menu - your only choice is between oysters no. 1, 2, 3, or 4 depending upon availability.  You do have the option of a 'menu' - starting off with a plate of salmon, tarama, butter, and rye bread, and a glass of muscadet (included in the menu).  Then you wait for your dozen oysters, shucked in eye's view, and a bottle of muscadet (extra), and topped off with the cholesterol inducing guilty pleasure, the Breton cake Kouign-Amann (also extra, but only 3.50€). 

La Pleine Mer is just a hole in the wall not far from Gare de Nord, but it's inexpensive and definitely the real deal when you have a craving for oysters.  In fact, it's probably more of a take-out that formal sit-down restaurant.  During our meal, a steady influx of customers were coming in to pick up their holiday oysters for home.

LA PLEINE MER
address:  22, rue de Chabrol, 75010 Paris
tel:   01 53 34 64 47
website: are you kidding?


Before closing this elongated post (Parts 1 and 2), I should add that I finally got around to visiting Le

Le Square Gardette

Square Gardette on rue rue Saint Ambrosie in the 11th, not far from the St Maur metro stop and even less far from my day job.

This was a holiday dinner celebrated with some colleagues, so my function was less reviewer than survivor.  Laid back and convivial, with some odd decorations.  I vaguely remember a tasty entree -  ceviche de merlan, litchi, grenade, and yes, popcorn - and a main fish plate - lieu noir - followed by a pre-selected triad of cheese, featuring a terrific slab of Cantal.  At 44€ for the 'menu', this isn't the best deal in town, but worth checking out.  Lunch might be a better option - just stay away from the quail, which rocked John Talbott's boat in the decidedly wrong way.

Some Square Gardette decor

LE SQUARE GARDETTE
address:  24, rue Saint Ambrosie, Paris 75011
tel:  01.43.55.63.07
website:  http://www.squaregardette.fr/

Time of the Season - 2012 Greatest Hits

It's that time of the year again when I say "It's that time of the year again."  Time to look back at another year on the restaurant scene, both here (Paris) and farther afield - this time as far as Chinle, AZ, where as you will read below, frightening things await.

As in the past, this is not intended as a 'best of ' list  in the sense of 'best restaurant in Paris' - I probably can't afford that one anyway - but rather in a more personal, 'this is the best restaurant I ate at in Paris this year' sort of way.

2012 Favorite: Le Chateaubriand.

I am sure this is old news, since many have long since waxed eloquently about this Paris venue, but when I think about the meals that really stood out this past year, Chateaubriand keeps coming to mind.  There was that great dinner Co. and I had with our pardners from the US of A, highlighted by an amazing turbot, fenouil, and poutargue dish (1st photo), and the follow-up this past November, with the memorable lait ribot, herbes, beurre noisette and tocino del cielo  dessert (2nd photo), 3/4s of which consisted of ingredients that rarely appear on dessert plates.  Chateaubriand has its detractors, but who cares?  It's to be expected when the chef - in this case, Inaki Aizpitarte - dares to take risks with creative manifestations that do not always work - but hey that's what experimentation is all about, sometimes you just can't reject the null hypothesis.  All I know is that I'm always surprised at Chateaubriand, and mostly in a good way, and I love when the place starts building a buzz as the evening unfolds with a diverse mix of diners and laid back bohemian servers.  I'm also impressed that those servers never fall through the trap door behind the bar, which curiously remains open for much of the evening (3rd photo).  And, yes, Monsieur Aizpitarte does uncannily resemble Joe Flacco, had the latter decided to give up quarterbacking for the Baltimore Ravens and become a famous Parisian chef.

 

 

LE CHATEAUBRIAND: 129 ave. Parmentier, 75011 Paris, tel: 01.43.57.45.95

Best New Paris Restaurant Movement: La Dolce Italia.

To be honest, this probably isn't a movement at all, and if it is, it was no doubt underway before I came upon it, but the influx of really good Italian restaurants in the capital is certainly a welcome trend.  Two quite enjoyable dinners in 2012 were had at the Italian spots, Caffe dei Cioppi and Vilia.  At the latter, the elegantly simple bowl of DeCecco rigatoni and parmesan cheese got me buying DeCecco pasta and parmesan cheese the rest of the year, though not with the same effect.  I wouldn't go so far as to call La Gazzetta an Italian restaurant because it is oh so much more, but I can at least mention it here because, after all, this is my blog and I can babble to my heart's content.  Seriously, Gazzetta continues to be a personal favorite that I get back to as frequently as possible, for some of the same reasons that keep me returning to Chateaubriand.

Finally, although it has nothing to do with Italy, our return visit (finally) to Septime proved well worth the wait.

CAFFE DEI CIOPPI: 159, rue du Faubourg St. Antoine, Paris, tel: 01.43.46.10.14 

VILIA:  26, rue de Cotte, 75012 Paris, tel: 09.80.44.20.15        

LA GAZZETTA: 29, rue de Cotte, 5012 Paris, tel: 01.43.37.47.05

SEPTIME:  80, rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris, tel: 01.43.67.38.29

Worst Restaurant of 2012, USA: Garcia's.                                                                                      My worst meal of the year was had more than 5000 miles from Paris, Garcia's in Chinle, Arizona, which is definitely a good thing.  Chinle happens to be well located for visiting such famous sites as Monument Valley and the Canyon de Chelly.  The Garcia's decision is clear-cut, there are no competitors, because this was probably the worst meal I have ever had anywhere - save that Montezuma revenge special of fried chicken that I had in a greasy spoon in old Jerusalem, but please, let's not go there.  If you search Trip Advisor for Chinle restaurants, the first comment that pops up for Garcia's is 'As good as anywhere in town,' which doesn't sound too bad until you realize the alternatives are Burger King, Thunderbird Lodge restaurant, and that place next to the Best Western that looks like it dropped out of horror film.  Garcia's is the Chinle Holiday Inn's restaurant, and it's not like Co. and I were expecting much.  One has to eat, period, and the options in the local convenience store didn't offer much as an alternative.  One thing Garcia's has going for it is an 'all you can shove into your big fat face (an apt description of the typical Garcia diner, however politically incorrect that may sound) salad bar.  I'm just glad I got to it before I saw another patron coughing and wiping his nose, and then selecting items from the bar.  Our waitress certainly was pleasant enough, but visually, she was a disaster, slaking my appetite even before I had a look at that salad bar. I don't remember what I ate or why, but Co. made a big mistake with the most expensive item on the menu, a sirloin steak.  When I asked about alcohol, I was told, sure - just get back in your car and motor 200 miles south, you'll find some, but you won't find any on an Arizona Indian reservation, which is where Chinle lies.  To my chagrin, I had to settle for a Kaliber non-alcoholic beer, my first and last, trust me.  At any rate, I am sure there are worse restaurants in the world, I just hope I never have to find that out for myself.

Worst Restaurant of 2012, Paris: Abri.             No, in my view, you do not have to actually eat at a restaurant for it to be named to a 'worst of' list, especially when one does such a crack job of alienating customers before they ever get to your door.  And getting through the door at Abri appears to be a pleasure that only a select few have ever experienced.  Paris was abuzz about Katsuaki Okiyama's Abri in 2012, a creative sandwich shop by day and supposedly wonderful tasting menu restaurant by night.  So how did they get a reservation?  Because each time I call Monsieur O, I get the very same response: 'complet.'  Being a paranoid ex-pat, I quickly began to think that Mr. O discriminates against would-be diners with heavy English accents, but once I called and he said 'complet' before I got any further than 'bonjour.'  When I asked in November when it would be possible to snag a dinner reservation for two, Monsieur O became, for him I guess, veritably prolific, spitting out the response 'complet a la fin de Decembre.'  In short, I don't care if Abri is the bee's knees or not, Monsieur O. can shove it where the sun don't shine.  With all the hassles I've had reserving at Septime, at least they gave me some advice as to when to call, which nights were better than others, etc.  Monsieur Okiyama apparently doesn't have the courtesy to do even that.  So my only conclusion is that he is restaurateur asshole of the year.  Ironically, the 2013 Le Fooding guide awards Abri a 'palmare' for 'Fooding D'Amour.'

 Biggest Disappointment of 2012, Paris: Roseval.

                                                            Speaking of that 2013 Le Fooding guide which, as always, is a great inexpensive guide to 400 French restaurants, the Palmare for 'Meilleure Table' went to Simone Tondo & Michael Greenwold's Roseval, where the ambiance 'screams modern elegance, and the food is simply ambrosial.'  Well, based on my one dinner there this past Fall, there was nothing overtly elegant about the restaurant's interior, especially the pompous and impolite servers, and the food was good, but far from ambrosial.  I guess Roseval has been anointed this season's hot new thing, but move along reader, nothing that interesting here.  Far less disappointing was L'Agrume, another personal favorite that just didn't wow me this year the way it has in the past.  A different menu every day, amazingly, but the price has gone up and they still lack those little extras that could take the place to another level.

 Best Comeback Restaurant of 2012, Paris suburbs: Les Magnolias.

        I've done my share of hyping Les Magnolias, but somewhere along the line, my return visits to said venue were increasingly spaced, a bad sign.  But  Co. and I returned during the summer and had a magnificent meal.  I would go so far as to say that the food was ambrosial and the setting in Le Perreux-sur-Marne elegant.

 

LES MAGNOLIAS: 48, ave. de Bry, 94 Le Perreux sur Marne, tel: 01.48.72.47.43

 

My Favorite Homemade Drinks of 2012.  Hendrick's gin on the rocks with a slice of cucumber.  And to soothe my aching stomach from consuming too much spice, there is nothing better than a White Russian composed of 2/5s Smirnoff Black vodka, 2/5s Kaluha, and topped off with milk, some ice, and well-shaken with a coffee foamer.

Best Place(s) to Buy Spices in Paris. 

 I don't deny that the multi-colored spice display at Galeries Lafayette Gourmand is a sight to behold and tempting as hell, but my recommendation is to look, but do not buy.  Why?  Simple - it's far cheaper to go to the Indian district's Cash and Carry shops, where one can find a diverse range of spices at miniscule prices.  Case in point.  I purchased 50 grams worth of paprika at Gourmand for a price around 7€.  At one of my habitual C&C's, I found a 400 gm. package of paprika for 1.99€.  You can do the math, and I detected no discernible difference in taste.  At same C&C, I picked up a 400gm package of hot madras curry powder for 2.99€ and a 1kg package of garam masala for 4.89€.  At those volumes, you won't have to make multiple trips to the store to resupply.  The two or three C&Cs I visit regularly are located down the strip from the New Pondichery restaurant (where I usually buy a few pieces of chicken tandori to go) on rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis, right near the Gare du Nord train station.

Best Films that Didn't Make it to Paris in 2012:     The Master, Django Unchained, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty.  Best Film that Did:  Turin's Horse. 

Worst Films Appearing on Most French Best Films of 2012 Lists: Holy Motors, Cosmopolis (what is so fascinating about weirdos riding around town in a limosine?), Looper, Magic Mike, Moonrise Kingdom (a kid's movie).  In my view, these overrated films were interminable to sit through.

Disclaimer: Sorry about the line spacing, it is driving me crazy and nothing I attempt can get it to change.  Time for another White Russian.

 See you in 2013.   

Comments, feedback, gripes, glowing praises? - just click '(Aucun) Commentaire.' Spammers beware.

                  

 

Vilia - Viva Italia

Who says timing isn't everything?  Had I seen the new Woody Allen 'Italian' movie, To Rome With Love Thursday night instead of Saturday night, I would have cancelled my Friday dinner reservation at Vilia, another new neo-Italian restaurant in Paris.  No disrespect to the Woodman, who has made some of the great films of all time (Manhattan, Annie Hall), but To Rome is not only just plain horrible, it is tortuous.  Filled with cliches, Italian stereotypes, lame jokes that die with a loud thud, bad acting, terrible casting (Ellen Page as 'sexy, weird love interest'?, Penelope Cruz as an Italian hooker?  Woody Allen as a retired avant-garde opera director? ouch) my stomach was so upset after watching that sorry excuse for entertainment - are Woody and Judy Davis the most tiresome couple in the history of cinema?) that an Italian dinner would have been the last thing on my agenda.  But as I've said, timing is everything, and so Co. and I were able to benefit from a very satisfying evening at Vilia on aforesaid Friday evening.

Easy to reserve (that's becoming a much underused term in the capital these days, unfortunately - as in the ever elusive Septime and the equally slippery new kid on the block, Abri) and even easier to find - rue de Cotte, we strolled into Vilia around 8 pm and, as the first patrons, had our choice of a mere handful of tables.  Seating capacity at Vilia is, by my own bleary-eyed count, 22.  We grabbed one of the few lone two-seaters - lest getting crammed along one of the 6 or 4 seat tables, against the back wall, but nonetheless in the center of the action - bar against the right wall, tiny kitchen outside of my view down a small corridor in the back.  Recipe for success - take an old shop on a hip, buzzing street in Paris, build it into a restaurant, man the kitchen with a young, charismatic, confident chef, and they will come.  And restaurant bloggers will write their glowing reviews (e.g., Heidi Ellison, me).  An old furrier shop, Vilia is centrally located on a street where I wouldn't mind having a tiny apartment.  This is the third - you can look it up - restaurant within a few square meters of the same street that I have now reviewed at this site.  The superfantastic La Gazzetta is directly across the street, and the disappointing Miel & Paprika is just next door.  And if you aren't satisfied with those options, keep walking, there are plenty more venues in the neighborhood.

Co. & I, as is our habitude, opted for the 3-course menu (36€ per person) in lieu of the cheaper 2-course option (26€).  Not much in the way of choices - 3 entrees, 3 plats, and 3 desserts (or cheese).  But let me tell you about the wine first before we get to the actual grub.  Normally, I don't talk much about the wines at this site because I, gasp, am not an expert.  I adhere to the Don Winslow school of oenology, neatly summarized in his book, Savages, as follows:

The wine world is basically divided into red and white.  (We ain't gonna go far with this -- wine types are almost as hateful as tweekers.)  Every great wine-tasting session should end with arsenic.

And we might add John Niven's observation:

If you have to stop drinking, you're a fucking loser.

Okay, so much for esoteric wine philosophy.  The wine list at Vilia is short and sweet, or moitie-moitie, half French and half Italian.  When in Rome, as they say, so I asked our waitress's advice for a good Italian red and ended up with the very satisfying Cannonau Costera (28€).  Not long after sitting down at our table, the ruggedly handsome, foulard wearing, crazy chef/owner Marco Silvetti whipped past our table to snag a couple bags of DeCecco rigatoni off the mantlepiece, commenting that it is a key ingredient to success - later, we were able to verify that first-hand.  But shortly after our Costera arrived, Marco came by again and we had a brief chat about mutual origins and Italian wines, and here is what he said about the Sardinian-based Costera:

Sardinia, where the ground is hard and the people are silent.

Cryptic enough to enhance the flavor of the wine, which was very much like a French bordeaux, but with something special.  Full-bodied and somewhat sweeter than the French wines I am used to drinking, this bottle held up well throughout the meal, though I fear it might become a bit overwhelming on multiple occasions.  As for the food to wash down, Co. fared better than I did with the entree, thoroughly satisfied with her souffle of oursins (sea urchin), which I sadly did not photograph - but it probably would have been blurry anyway (see below), me less so - having bypassed the mackerel dish for a soup of langoustine, calamar, and clams.  Not to say it wasn't good, but I had hoped for something more special.  This soup struck me as a pretty typical fish soup, no bells or whistles.  Or as Annie Hall might have intoned, 'lah di dah.'

But just a second there.  Did I mention, no I didn't, that shortly into our first dishes, Marco wheeled out into the dining room a barrel-sized block of hollowed out cheese, poured a couple pots of that DeCecco rigatoni inside, and mixed in some broken-up parmesan cheese along with, not sure here, olive oil (?).  When Co. inquired just what exactly he was up to, he responded by bringing a small bowl of the pasta melange to our table, a somewhat belated, but generously welcomed, mise-en-bouche.

Well, let me tell you, this elegantly simple preparation was, in the jargon of today's youth, awesome, dude.  The pasta was al dente - tender but firm - and the cheese al perfecto.  I would have happily scrapped the 3-course menu and devoured a couple bowls of this dish.  But, alas, that was not to be the case.  Nonetheless, I felt pretty good about having chosen the pasta plat - raviolis mozzarella et bufala - three raviolis rectangles bearing small chunks of shrimp.  Co. went with the poulpe dish with charlottes and creme.

 

Once again, the pasta won out, though both dishes, as we swapped to verify, were rated 'tasty' on the tasty scale, perhaps with Co. a tad underwhelmed by her calamar.  The dessert choices didn't send shivers up my spine, and given Co.'s predilection for the tartelette with yougurt and strawberries, I took the waitress's advice and went with the creme brulee romarin et citronnelle, after she downgraded to no. 3 the third possibility, a panna cotta.  Not much of a creme brullee enthusiast, I did appreciate the sweet concoction that appeared before me.  Co. went euphroric over her hands-on, non-imposing to the naked eye tartellette, now bearing chocolate, as a late-night replacement for the yogurt - how does one run out of yogurt?

So, in sum, a satisfying, laid-back night.  Italian, yet not totally, which I am sure will keep Vilia as an interesting option, especially when you can't get reservations at La Gazzetta or Caffe dei Chioppi.

Arrivederci, baby.

VILIA

26, rue de Cotte

75012 Paris

tel. 09 80 44 20 15

no website